


new year's eve

by extrarice



Category: Archie Comics & Related Fandoms, Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Awkward Crush, Crushes, Exes, F/M, Fluff, High School, House Party, Kind of AU, New Year's Eve, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:27:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22071778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/extrarice/pseuds/extrarice
Summary: Cheryl throws a party at Thornhill to welcome the New Year. Unfortunately, Veronica and Jughead are stuck with each other once the countdown begins.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper (minor), Jughead Jones/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 7
Kudos: 62





	new year's eve

Veronica just wants to get the party over with—after New Year, it is back to cramming her projects and chasing deadline after deadline.

As much as she likes Cheryl (and it’s not that much), the party she’s hosted is pretty mundane. Or that may be Veronica’s inner socialite thinking. It’s been two years and her New York persona still hasn’t left her.

“Ten minutes ‘till midnight!” some asshole shouts in the middle of the crowd.

She groans to her cup. It’s already empty, but she has no plans on filling it anymore. Looking back up, she looks for Betty, her best friend and the person who she had come to the party with. She thinks she sees the blonde’s ponytail swinging by the television, but it’s hard to tell with the lighting. Thornhill, Cheryl’s mansion, might look big and fancy outside, but the interior is grim and outdated. Their black-and-red theme for their mansion confirms Veronica’s theory that the Blossoms are vampires.

Someone bumps into her.

“Sorry—oh,” the person stops. She looks up and sees Archie Andrews, looking uncomfortable. He fidgets for a while before running a hand through his red hair, a sure sign that he is nervous. “Hey, Ronnie?”

Veronica cannot deal with this right now. “Hi, Arch,”

“So, uh, how’s the party?”

Dumb. Lame. Boring. Sad because now Archie knows she’s all alone. But she grins and stresses through her teeth, “Never better.”

An awkward silence fills them.

Veronica says, “All right, I have to go. See you around.”

Archie nods with understanding. She hates his pity, so she turns away quickly. She still feels his brown eyes on her and she hopes that he can let her look dignified and strong for once, because she hasn’t been ever since he left.

He lets her go.

Veronica can’t lie: she’s a bit disappointed.

She manages to squeeze outside to the gardens, away from the crowds, away from her ex-boyfriend. It’s been over a month since their breakup, but Veronica still hasn’t had the guts to talk to him normally. Looking at him, she feels a pang of regret and guilt that she’s never felt before.

“Veronica?” another voice takes her back to reality.

She checks; it’s Jughead Jones. He looks at her, shocked, like a deer caught in headlights. There’s a single cigarette stick dangling from his lips, and perhaps that is the reason for his surprise.

“Jones,” she says stiffly. She looks at the cigarette on his mouth, “Since when?”

“Three months ago,” he sighs, a large puff of smoke coming from his mouth.

Three months ago, Veronica thinks, was his and Betty’s breakup. The breakup was unexpected—everyone thought they would make it. Toni (who Veronica had gotten close with) gossiped that Jughead wouldn’t admit what the reason was. Her theory was Jughead’s finally gotten sick of the Northside girl-next-door persona. Veronica frowned and disagreed because Betty was still her best friend.

“You should stop that,” Veronica says pointedly, “No girl likes a man with bad breath.”

He laughs, and it makes her smile as well. Still, he lets it fall down and puts it out with his foot. He mentions, “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not looking for one.”

“Really?” Veronica asks, tilting her head towards him.

“They come to me willingly, anyway,” he smirks.

Out of them four, Veronica would argue that it’s Jughead who has completely changed. Given that Veronica isn’t that close with Jughead, but she’s seen how he’s developed from a hipster-loner to a leader of a gang. He looks more mature now, cleverer, and not the type to outcast himself again. He’s certainly more confident. Perhaps his sudden popularity boost was what caused a wedge between him and Betty, and even Archie to some extent.

Veronica couldn’t care less, though. There had always been a wedge between her and Jughead. While his sudden boost in confidence was surprising, it hasn’t affected their friendship (or lack thereof) much.

She chuckles, shaking her head with amusement. They stay quiet together for a while.

“Hey,” she pipes up. Jughead looks over to her questioningly. “Happy New Year.”

He laughs, “Happy New Year, Veronica.”

His laugh is deep and genuine; she likes hearing it. She asks, “Any New Year resolutions you can think of?”

“I want to finish my novel, I suppose,” he replies, slipping his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

“I’m sure you will, Jones. I can’t wait to read the next Great American novel,” she grins at him. He smiles back, looking encouraged at her response.

“What about you?”

“Me?” she thinks for a while. “…I want to get out of Riverdale. Make a name for myself, you know?”

Jughead’s eyes soften considerably. He murmurs, “Yeah, I know.”

Before they can continue their conversation any further, the party inside decides to continue it to the gardens. So, part of the crowd spills out to the grass, bringing along a loud chatter of noise.

Veronica thinks she sees Reggie and Chuck setting up some fireworks further from the crowd.

“Three minutes till midnight!” the same guy from earlier shouts. A cheer follows soon after.

“Do you want to go back inside?” Veronica asks through the noise.

Jughead shakes his head, “They’re blocking the way.”

Before Veronica can reply, she sees a flash of red hair a few stops in front of her. Archie is wading through the crowd, eyes searching for something or…someone. Finally, he spots them. Veronica finds her heart breaking when she sees him giving a wide smile at Betty, the blonde ponytail is unmistakable. Betty gives her own sultry smile in return, and the way they look at each other makes Veronica want to puke.

Jughead follows her line of vision. He whispers, “Oh shit.”

Veronica feels as if all hope has escaped her. She wants to go home and cry it all out. She knew that Archie had a penchant for being a womanizer, but she hadn’t considered the fact that he’d move on so quickly. With her best friend out of everyone!

Jughead looks over to her, grabbing her wrist without a word. She protests, but lets herself be dragged by him, away from the two lovers. They wade through the crowd, though it’s not that thick. Everyone they pass lets them through without complaints. Finally, they stop further away, near the door to the gardens where only a few people are still lurking. It seems most of the party had been moved outside, probably to see the fireworks show. The speakers inside, however, are still loud and thriving.

She leans against the wall of the house, against the vines and moss that are climbing it. Jughead positions in front of her, shielding her from everyone.

“You knew,” she accuses, remembering his nonchalant reaction. Tears are already pooling around her eyes, hurt and confused at what she saw.

“It was an accident—I saw them kissing behind Pop’s,” he explains.

“Since when?” she sniffles.

“Around Christmas.”

She buries her face in her hands. She cries out, “He didn’t even wait for three months!”

“Listen, Veronica, they didn’t mean for this to happen. Plus, we all knew at the back of our heads that they’re endgame, right? Archie’s an idiot, sure, but he never wanted to hurt you,” Jughead says, rubbing her arm softly. “They were going to tell you once school starts.”

Veronica sighs shakily, still refusing to move her head. “It still hurts, Jughead.”

“I know,” he whispers. And he probably does. She knows how much he loved Betty, how head over heels he was even before they started dating. If there’s anyone in the world who could empathize with her, it’s Jughead.

Jughead pulls her closer to him, surprising both of them. She lands on his chest, and she feels his warmth, hears his steady heartbeat. She lets the rhythm steady her; soon she realizes she’s stopped crying.

“One minute till midnight!” the same guy cheers, “Better get a partner to kiss!”

This alerts Veronica. She pushes herself away from his chest. Alarmed, she looks up at Jughead, a furious blush overtaking her features, “Um, d-do we go? Or d-do you…”

She sees his cheeks redden considerably. He coughs, hiding his cheeks with his hand. “Well, I’m not averse to it.”

“Neither am I,” she confirms.

It’s just a kiss, right?

“Well, that settles it,” he chuckles. He puts his hand away, revealing his lips curved to a boyish smile.

“Thirty seconds!” the crowd cheers.

“Plus, our exes are probably going to anyway,” Veronica offers. While it hurts, it feels nice to joke about it.

Jughead bops his head, “Doesn’t make sense for us not to follow a tradition, right?”

“Yeah!” Veronica agrees, a bit too intensely. She draws back a little and awkwardly confirms, “Yeah,”

“Ten!”

Jughead looks down at her, echoing her response.

“Nine!”

They smile at each other nervously.

“Eight!”

Jughead rubs the back of his neck nervously.

“Seven!”

Veronica offers a sincere smile, hoping to calm him down.

“Six!”

He does.

“Five!”

Veronica notices how blue his eyes are.

“Four!”

“Three!”

She’s drawn to him, she realizes, her face inching towards his.

“Two!”

Their faces are a breath away from each other now.

“One!”

When their lips meet, she closes her eyes. Fireworks set off around them, but she could have easily mistaken those as her imagination. Other cheers and hoorays are drowned in her ears. Her heart is pulsating throughout her body; it’s the only thing that she can hear. She suddenly realizes that she’s insanely warm. When they pull away, her lips are tingling and her whole body is flushing red. She feels like a schoolgirl with a crush, or a lover who can’t get enough of her partner.

“You’re a good kisser,” Jughead comments, laughing it off to ease the awkwardness.

Veronica’s heart skips a beat.

* * *

When school starts, she realizes she’s got it bad for Jughead.

Ever since the kiss, she couldn’t help but think of him and him only. She thinks of his blue eyes, thoughtful and observant. She thinks of his tacky beanie, a bit strange but somehow adorable. She tries to remember their conversations, their arguments and minor understandings, those conversations that seemed too few but still memorable. She visualizes again and again their kiss; how perfect it all was.

She walks through the doors of Riverdale High, hoping to see him, but at the same time dreading.

“I can’t believe I have a stupid crush,” she mutters to herself.

They have English together, and she’s never felt that it was an issue for him to sit behind her until now. As the teacher lectures on, she’s hyper aware of each breath he takes and how he exhales. She’s afraid to talk to him now, afraid that he might see through her, so she settles for a ‘good morning’ and ignoring him for the rest of the period.

His chuckle when the teacher says something wrong and his little sighs send her heart racing.

What the hell is wrong with her?

During lunch, Betty and Archie corner her at their lunch table.

Usually, Jughead is the fourth member of their small table, but he’s sitting with the other Serpents for now. Veronica knows; she had been stealing glances at him. That’s fine, she decides, because she cannot deal with another hour trying to keep her cool when he’s absolutely driving her nuts.

“V,” Betty starts, “We have a confession to make.”

Veronica listens intently. She has honestly momentarily forgotten about the Archie and Betty situation today. Though, during the break, she had a good cry about it. Mostly, her mind was preoccupied with Jughead, so she has since realized that it was okay to let Archie go now. They looked happy, anyway.

“We had been seeing each other during the holidays,” Archie lets go of the bomb.

Veronica nods slowly. The two lovers glance at each other, but continue nonetheless.

“It started during Christmas. I decided to go over to Archie’s house to give them mom’s apple pie. We started talking about our love lives and how last year had sucked…” Betty trails off.

Archie continues, “It wasn’t long till we kissed. I admit I was the one who leaned in—“

“—but I let him, and well, we liked it—“

“—so, we gave us a chance and we think we’re great for each other—“

“—sorry for not telling you sooner, we knew you’d react negatively, and we had to make sure that it was real and—“

“Stop,” Veronica says softly. She looks at her two friends, both looking at her with guilt in their eyes. “I saw you guys at Cheryl’s party.”

Their jaw drop open.

“It hurt, I admit it,” Veronica confesses, “But it really looked like you two are happy. I thought it over during the break, and who am I to stop love, right?”

Betty gapes, “ _Ohmyygod, V_ ,”

“Look, I really am happy for you,” she says. And it’s true; in her heart it feels true. “Take care of each other, okay?”

They give her a thankful smile.

* * *

She’s classmate with Jughead in two other classes: Chemistry and Math. Thankfully, though, they are far apart from each other, so she’s not as tense during lessons.

But she can’t help be aware of every movement that she does. She tries hard not to sneak a glance or spill any information to others that she _might_ like Jughead. It’s been so long since a guy has had this kind of effect on her. She just can’t believe it would be the dorky hipster that couldn’t live without Pop’s.

At the end of her last class, she walks over to her locker to put back her books. When she opens it, a small note falls to the floor. Curious, she picks it up and reads:

_Blue and Gold after class._

_-JJIII_

Her heart drums against her chest. Could he be also thinking about the kiss?

She catches him leaning against his desk at the office of Blue and Gold. He’s looking down at his hands, fidgeting and rubbing nervously.

“Hi,” she greets, closing the door behind her.

He looks up, relief covers his blue eyes. Her heart flutters.

“Hi,” he greets back.

“What do—“

“Thanks for—“

They stop. Jughead hangs his head in embarrassment, while Veronica laughs at them. She can’t believe Jughead’s as nervous as her. She says, “You first.”

“Well,” Jughead coughs, grabbing her gaze, “I just… I noticed you were avoiding me today.”

Veronica‘s heart rises to her throat. She manages to say, “You noticed?”

“Of course, I’ve…” he clears his throat, lowering his gaze, “I’ve been observing you all day.”

Her cheeks flush. “Really?”

He looks up at her again; resolve colors his eyes for now. When he speaks, his voice is steady but soft, “I wanted to say that ever since New Year’s Eve, I haven’t stopped thinking about you.”

“You haven’t?” she breathes out, hopeful.

He notices this and moves closer to her. He continues, “Kissing you honestly changed my life. I couldn’t think of you the same way again.”

She exhales, relief flooding all over her. He moves even closer.

“I know we haven’t had the best relationship these past years,” he says.

They’re inches apart now, the same position as New Year’s Eve.

“But, maybe, the reason for that is because we aren’t meant to have a platonic relationship,” he whispers softly, rough, in such a deep velvet voice.

His eyes drop to her lips. She catches her breath.

“And what are we meant to be?” she dares to ask, softly, inviting.

“Something more?”

She doesn’t know who leans in first, but suddenly they’re kissing. She can’t believe it, but it’s even better than their New Year kiss. It’s rough and playful; she feels his tongue exploring her, exploring this, what they have. She plays along with her own tongue, a bit aggressively, but everything about them is fast and hard. It’s as if they have been repressing their feelings for a long time, and it’s like a dam that’s been burst open. Veronica thinks that she should have done this earlier.

They part for air at the same time, but their foreheads are still touching. She’s suddenly aware that their bodies are pressed up against each other, her hands around his neck, his gripping her waist. Their hearts are fast and racing, at one with each other.

She laughs, “That’s a long time coming.”

He kisses her, soft and sweet. “Definitely.”

* * *

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading my first story for this ship! really love them so i thought i'd make this to celebrate the new year. have an amazing 2020!


End file.
